The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apply Heat
Posted by Libby (Brighton) on 02/03/2022
★★★★★
Applying Heat for Insect Bites
Thank you for all the thumbs up for this..it has worked for me brilliantly. Bitten to pieces and I was scratching endlessly, nothing else worked. It lasts a long time too before I have to repeat, and things seem to be clearing up too now. Thank you again. My daughter says she does the same for her eczema on her hands and that works for her.
Apply Heat
Posted by Angela Chavez (Colorado Springs) on 05/30/2017
★★★★★
Thanks for the hot water solution. My insect bite was severely itching for 2 days, after trying almost every suggestion I tried the hot water and it took away all the itching and within seconds the itch was gone.... for good! Thanks again!
Apply Heat
Posted by Barbara (San Luis Obispo, Ca) on 11/27/2016
★★★★★
Insect bites treatments using a blower dryer to heat the bite on the skin. It denatures the painful proteins. I got about 50 bites one evening bird watching in Florida swamp. Blow dryer took the pain way down to where I didn't scratch and I slept through the night. Next morning I felt fine! Wave the hot air back and forth across the painful area keeping it pretty hot, but using care not to burn your skin. Highly recommend!
Also, life guards use hot, hot water for sting ray hits. They have tubs at the life guard stations and tea kettles. They pour the boiling water from the tea kettle into the tub and mix with some tap water. You put your stung foot into the tub for half and hour until pain is gone. They add boiling water occasionally to keep the water as hot as you can stand - works like magic!
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Posted by Oceanman58 (Los Alamitos) on 08/10/2016
★★★★★
I hate fleas. If there was a way, I wish someone would wipe them out. LOL.. Anyway, I got a bite tonight on my arm from taking the dog out for walk..She doesn't have fleas due to homemade ACV spray, spraying each time for each walk. Anyway I took a hot shower and made the hot water as hot as I could stand in the shower and ran it on the new bite and some old ones from a week ago.. Two hours later and no itching. Thank you to everyone who shared about this easy home remedy. Remember, the water has to as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself. Keep the hot water on the bite for at least twenty seconds...
Apply Heat
Posted by Wahine23 (Orange County, Ca) on 03/01/2015
★★★★★
I am so excited that I found this simple solution. I am very sensitive to bites and for whatever reason, fleas find me once a year and I do not own any pets.
Long story short, I suffered from 10 bites from fleas and they run up and down on my stomach onto my lower chest area. This itchiness was unbearable until I found that applying heat worked like a charm.
I heat up my tin bottle that I use at the gym using a pot of hot water over the stove. It gets really hot, so be careful. When it heats up enough or cools down, just apply on the bites. I don't burn my self, I just leave it on for a second and work my way through each bite. Worked like a charm, never had the urge to scratch it again. I do this once a day before going to bed. Apply more if you have a severe case.
When you are desperate, this is a very simple solution. Those anti-histamine cremes did not work for me.
Apply Heat
Posted by Lokismum (Banbury, England) on 09/26/2013
★★★★★
I just got a bite on my foot four days ago which itched so much I nearly scratched myself raw. I had a look on Earth Clinic as I knew the wonderful people who pass on wonderful remedies would have the answer. I tried a lot of things that didn't work as this bite was really fierce with the itching, and remembered I had tried using a hair dryer on a hot setting aimed at the bite until it got too uncomfortable, which had helped when I had a milder bite a couple of months ago. So when I saw the remedy using boiling hot water to soak a flannel and applying that to the bite I wanted to try it. As soon as the flannel hit the red inflamed skin covering half my foot and also half my ankle which was swollen the itching was intense, but strangely comforting. When the itching stopped I took the flannel off, and for the next six or so hours it was absolute bliss. No itching! I woke at three last night with my foot starting to itch, and slapped the very hot flannel on my foot, and once again it worked wonderfully. Thank you so much all of you who recommended this treatment. Colloidal silver sprayed on it several times a day from yesterday evening has taken the swelling down and stopped it looking so angry. I took a tablespoon of silver a couple of times yesterday and today as well, as it was so swollen and itchy yesterday I thought I might have to see the doctor, but I don't want to take anti biotics and it was obvious the foot was infected and that is what the doctor would have prescribed. So once again thank you Earth Clinic.
Apply Heat
Posted by Sealion (Alexandria, Va, USA) on 05/10/2013
★★★★★
Worked for me too. Just be careful not to accidentally scald yourself:) Aspirin rubbed in wet worked also but only for about 4 hours and left the bed sheet a little gritty.
Apply Heat
Posted by Molly (Corte Madera, Ca) on 04/19/2013
★★★★★
Yes! Heat is the best. Whenever I get poison oak or a batch of bug bites while vacationing, hot showers are the only thing that brings total relief. I take a shower as hot as I can stand. The heat releases all the histamines that cause the itch. If I can't shower for some reason, I'll carefully use a blow dryer in short blasts. The blow dryer gives you less ability to control the heat or keep the heat on the area for an extended time. The hot shower feels great, and you get 5-8 hours of relief before you need to do it again.
Apply Heat
Posted by Lizzie (London, Uk) on 08/14/2011
★★★★★
This is true. It's the only thing that actually takes the itch away completly. I used a flannel dipped in very hot water. Place it on the bites, it will sting and be a little unbearable, make it really hot. Keep on there for a few mins. Manadged to go to bed and sleep with absoloutly no itching!! Amazing, at last a cure for the terrible itching!
Apply Heat
Posted by What Worked For Me (Bev Hills, Usa) on 07/14/2011
★★★★★
Ok I was in soo much pain with itchy flea bites that just got worse after the first day, red inflamed and extremely itchy. I came here and tried a few of the solutions. clear nail polish, nail polish remover, tea tree oil, camphor, deep heat (linement, which worked but only for an hour or so), tiger balm and lime. NOTHING worked...
then I thought oh what the hell and I tried the making an X through each bite with my fingernail then I put a very hot water bottle on each bite (the back of a spoon dipped in very hot water will work too) and wouldnt u know instant relief, they stopped itching straight away. A realy inflamed one I did twice, just held the hot water bottle on it for 2 mins, two times and yep im all good now. I highly recommend this.
